This is why I read the comics first
It’s hard to digest your oatmeal when this is what waits to greet you in the rest of the paper:
DEAR ABBY: My husband, “Ron,” and I are at odds over parenting our 7-year-old son, “Brett.” My husband is very domestic. He cooks like a world-class chef and does more housework than any man I know of.
I have read Dr. James Dobson’s books on family. He clearly states that a father should be the manly role model for the son, to prevent the son from being homosexual. I’m concerned that Brett will learn feminine ways from my husband and turn out to be gay. How can I convince Ron that he needs to teach Brett the more manly things in life? — Worried Mom in Florida
Then there’s this item out of the polygamist town of Colorado City, Arizona, where church leaders are evicting from their homes anyone who challenges church authority. Notice the line:
Mostly men are booted from the community, with their wives and children often reassigned to other men.
Excuse me while I go gnash my teeth.
Technorati Tags: Religion, Fundamentalism, Polygamy, James Dobson, Parenting, Family
April 22nd, 2006 at 5:35 pm
There are too many things wrong with what you posted to even go into… some people are just sooooo stupid.
April 23rd, 2006 at 5:04 pm
although it may be easy to dismiss the followers of james dobson, the “church” elders of colorado city, or any number of other hate-based fanatical causes as “stupid” (i prefer to characterize most of the “sheep” as misguided), i assure you that the self-annoited arbiters of right and wrong, moral or immoral, ie the leaders, are neither stupid nor misguided. rather than succumb to ennui or dangerously assuming, as i am prone to do, that the majority of individuals are “right -thinking” like myself and abhor the likes of dobson and company, be warned and beware. we can ill afford to the read the comics, first or last except “mutts”). we must all take every opportunity presented to us, and make those opportunities where none exist, to reclaim our nation from the religous extremists and political thieves who continue to sell-off our birthrights of personal freedom and natural splendor to the higher bidders and return it to its true values of community, tolerance and charity.
“a little patience, and we shall see the reign of witches pass over, their spells dissolve, and the people recovering their true sight, restore their goverment to its true principles. it is true that in the meantime we are suffering deeply in spirit, and incurring the horrors of a war and long oppressions of enormous public debt…we must have patience till luck turns, and then we shall have an opportunity of winning back the principles we have lost, for this is a game where principles are at stake” –thomas jefferson, 1798, after passage of the sedition act.
i would modify mr. jefferson’s sentiment to urge not patience but action. are you a registered voter? do you vote? what campaign issues have you been actively involved in? when was the last time you helped someone get elected to your neighborhood association, school board, city council or board of supervisors who share your social and political LIBERAL AGENDA (say it loud and say it proud)? when was the last time you ran for any of the aforementioned? when was the last time you volunteered your time to help a church or other nonprofit organization that works to guarantee freedom of speech or reproductive rights, assits the homeless, children or families in need, the enviornment, the enviornment, the enviornment? do you give as much as you can comfortably afford to give to any of the aforementioned? do you give more than you can comfortably afford to give? when was the last time you corrected an injustice, from calling someone on an ethic, religous or gender based slur to saving the rainforest? when was the last time you wrote a letter to a newspaper or elected official expressing YOUR values?
if we keep up our patience we may find that the game has been won and our principles irretrievely lost.
April 25th, 2006 at 9:37 pm
But don’t forget about what the newspapers are leaving out- not all events are deemed news-worthy, but some ought to be.